Sumter Bible Church is the third church/school that our team conducted the War of Special Forces back in the mid-1990s. We have come regularly since that time. Pastor Ron Davis has been a part of the ministry there every time we have come. It was great to be with him again and to labor with his dedicated staff. We were encouraged with over 30 salvation decisions and I trust the report below will stir your heart.

On Wednesday after chapel, a young lady responded and talked with Carissa, the Marine co-captain. Due to her parents not being married, she was constantly moved around which led to bitterness, anxiety, and anger. As she talked with Carissa, she realized she was not saved. She decided to trust Jesus first as her Savior and secondly to work out her situation for good. She went home and apologized to her dad for her anger. On Friday she testified: 

“I got saved…whenever Alex was doing his testimony, I felt like I… related to it a lot. So…I went home, I opened up to my dad about stuff that I’ve been keeping from him… I felt like a lot of mercy come from him and I felt…really light…like a whole bunch of weights have been lifted off of my shoulders… I just felt like I could breathe again because I didn’t feel as suffocated as I was…I have God in my heart now.”

A young lady responded to the invitation on Wednesday. She was clearly unsaved but was not ready to make the decision. She was mad at God and felt that she could not accept Him. That night, however, she come forward in the evening invitation and talked with Sydney, the Ranger co-captain. This young lady finally realized she had been viewing God like she saw her dad who had abandoned her. Once she realized that she was ready to accept Jesus, she visibly became a different girl! On Friday, she gave her story at the campfire:

“This week I got saved…I always thought that God would be like my biological dad, and my biological dad was not a good person…He left me when I was really young…And I always thought God would leave me too. But this week I realized that He isn’t like that, and He’ll always be with me and always be there for me.”

There was a young man who held out all week, but after the team captain’s split session on Friday, he responded. Alex, the Ranger team captain, spoke with him. He confessed his struggle with wrong music and thoughts. He made a plan to talk with his parents after school. He gave a powerful testimony on Friday: 

“When I was little, my dad had left my mom around the age of 7…I was always angry and upset…As I got older, I [would watch] my brother and he would go and…bang his head on the wall…because he would always be upset…When I was in 6th grade, I came to this school. The War of Special Forces came and I got saved, and I felt happy for the first time in a long time…I had a lot of issues before with watching things I shouldn’t be watching on the internet and doing the wrong things all the time. And after they left, it all went away…I knew that without God that it wouldn’t be gone…Up ‘til now, I had [struggled] with anger and temptation and music…And this week…I feel like I’m free of those things and…I can finally have victory.”

God used the young man’s testimony above to impact a fellow classmate. This classmate had not moved all week, but he got up and was broken about his anger. Nathan, the Seal team captain, talked with him, and turned him over to the Pastor. After the service ended, the young man came up to Nathan and shared what God had done in his heart.

A young lady stayed back after the first chapel on Monday. She began talking with Annaleese, the Seal co-captain, and sharing her story. She struggled with bitterness due to several home difficulties including her mom being murdered in a drug situation. On Wednesday, she responded again and talked to Annaleese. She was weeping and broken. After working through several verses and truths, Alex came and began to share his story. He could relate with many aspects of her situation. She left encouraged. On Thursday and Friday, she responded to the invitation wanting to work through more. It was a blessing to see her stand up on Friday and declare God’s work in her life:

“Last time they were here I got saved, but I really feel like these past couple years I have been pulled away from God and pulled into the world. And when Alex was talking, I felt God touch my heart [that] I needed to go back to God. So…I went to Annaleese and I talked to her, and then she pulled Alex to come talk to me and when he was talking to me I felt God really working in my heart.”

On Tuesday, Jeremiah, the Marine team captain, recruited a teen that was sitting by himself in McDonalds. He came the next night and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He listened intently to the message and responded. That night, Jeremiah was able to lead him to the Lord. He came all three nights and was very involved. On Friday night, he gave a testimony:

“When I was growing up, I was not any good. My home was full of abuse, and it was very rough. But this past week, I found God, thanks to Dr. Jim here and everyone else.”

Alex, the Ranger team captain, and Sydney recruited a group of teens after school on Monday. Six of them came on Wednesday and got involved in the competitions. They listened to the gospel message, and all six responded to the invitation. One got assurance and the other five received Christ as their Savior. Alex was able to lead three of them to the Lord. We found out that this was the only night these young people would be able to attend!  

Sydney invited a couple Christian workers from Chick-fil-a. They came on Wednesday and got burdened for one of their coworkers. On Friday, their coworker came. He listened to the testimonies and preaching and was under deep conviction. He waited and came up to Alex when he finished counseling another young man. He began by saying, “Hey man, I’ve been baptized three times, but I’ve never been saved. Can you tell me how?” In a few short moments, he was smiling from ear to ear knowing his final destination was settled! Overjoyed, he went out to his friends and exclaimed, “I got saved!”